This invention relates to water sport suits known as "dry suits" and, more particularly, to water sport suits designed for barefoot water skiing.
Water sport suits include suits generally known as "wet suits" and "dry suits". Wet suits are suits made of thermally insulating rubberized material, generally closely-fitting to the body, and adapted so that a thin layer of water exists between the suit and the wearer's body. The suit once wet, does not exchange much water, thus the thin layer of water adjacent the wearer's body provides an insulating function.
Dry suits, in contradistinction to wet suits, are more effective in conserving body heat especially in cold water conditions. The dry suit is a relatively loose fitting, water tight suit, which may be worn over relatively heavy, thermally protective insulating underwear. An example of a dry suit is shown in U.S. Pat. No. 4,483,019.
Dry suits are often worn by water skiers in cold water conditions. They are also worn by water skiers who do what is known as "barefoot" skiing. In barefoot skiing the skier is pulled by a power boat with his back or buttocks in contact with the water until sufficient speed is achieved (thirty to sixty miles per hour) to permit him to stand erect, skimming the surface of the water on his bare feet.
Once erect, the skier may electively drop to a sitting position, hitting the water with his buttocks, whence he may spin or rotate on his buttocks and then pop back up to a standing position. Riding the water on the buttocks or striking the water with the buttocks when performing high-speed tricks or maneuvers has been found to be particularly damaging to the fabric of a dry suit, particularly in the seat portion thereof. (Webster's New World Dictionary, second college edition, 1972, defines "seat" as "the part of a garment covering the buttocks". The "seat portion" of a dry suit in this application will thus refer to that part of a dry suit which covers the buttocks.)
Dry suits are often made of a nylon fabric having an interior coating of polyurethane. When barefoot skiing at high speeds as above described, the force and friction of the water on the seat portion of the dry suit has been found to heat the fabric, literally destroying the physical properties of the nylon and the polyurethane coating. The heat generated during contact with the water literally melts and wrinkles the nylon, often delaminates the polyurethane coating, wrinkling the fabric and destroying the bond. Attempts to remedy the problem by reinforcing the seat portion of a dry suit with additional fabric of the same material as the basic suit have been found not to solve the problem.
Accordingly, it is a principal object of the present invention to provide a dry suit for barefoot water skiing that will be sufficiently heat and stress resistant in the seat portion thereof to stand up under the high speed conditions typically encountered.
It is a further object of the present invention to provide a dry suit for barefoot water skiing with a seat portion which is able to withstand the force of the water and the friction created thereby when the wearer performs high speed water-contacting maneuvers.